Battle of Gaza (1799)

The Battle of Gaza (early February 1799) was a battle of the Egyptian Campaign of the French Revolutionary Wars and the first battle of Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Syria. Napoleon and an army of 1,076 French troops advanced into the Gaza Strip from the northern Sinai Peninsula and laid siege to the Ottoman stronghold of Gaza, the first of many coastal outposts that the Ottomans maintained during the campaign. The French army formed a line of battle outside of the city, provoking the weak Ottoman orta militia regiments into advancing into battle as French artillery damaged or destroyed several buildings in the city. The French managed to inflict horrific losses on the Ottomans as the inexperienced militiamen marched into battle, and the Ottoman troops decided to flee in their masses. The French succeeded in routing their foes, and the French captured Gaza with just 75 losses. Gaza was Napoleon's first battle against the forces of the Ottoman Empire itself, and his capture of Gaza was the first step in his march north towards Acre.